Tag Archives: HOA

Bell Road/Grand Avenue Update

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to issue project updates for the Bell Road/Grand Avenue bridge project. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the upcoming Bell-Grand interchange traffic configurations. View the ADOT Bell-Grand interchange animation to better understand traffic movements at the project intersections.

The Bell-Grand project is almost complete! While we’re experiencing lane closures on both Bell and Grand over the next few weeks, let’s continue to be good neighbors and avoid creating personal detours through neighborhoods to avoid additional traffic.

Upcoming Activities

Grand Avenue will be restricted to one lane in both directions at times over the next couple of weeks during daytime hours. Two lanes of traffic will be back in place at the end of each day.

The traffic signal at Bell Road and Grand Avenue will be activated Monday, Feb. 13.

The Grand Avenue ramps to and from Bell Road will be opened Thursday, Feb. 16.

City, County, and State law enforcement will be patrolling the area. Please obey all traffic signage and posted speed limits.

For more information or if you have questions: ADOT’s project hotline (855) 712-8530, press option #1 or email: bellandgrandinfo@azdot.gov

City Council Workshop

City Budget Kick-Off for Fiscal Year 2018

The first budget presentation regarding the development of the FY2018 budget began on Tuesday afternoon. This particular presentation provided a general overview of the city’s budget and a review of the calendar for the upcoming process. Emphasis was placed on the areas of policy making and the impact it can have on the FY2018 budget. The presentation also discussed outside issues that will influence the outcome of the budget process, such as public safety retirement, cost increases and workload increases.

Future Council Work Sessions and Regular Meetings will include additional presentations related to budget development, including topics on Capital Improvement Projects and continued operating budget discussions. This process will result in the adoption of a balanced FY2018 budget in June. FY2018 begins July 1, 2017.

City Council Meeting

City Manager Recognitions

Three special youth were recognized by City Manager Bob Wingenroth at the beginning of the City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Sisters, Shelby and Tabitha Caetano, were acknowledged by Surprise Fire-Medical Chief Tom Abbott for their heroic actions while providing life saving measures during a medical emergency for a family member.

Ladder Company 305 with Shelby and Tabitha Caetano

Makenna Breading-Goodrich, an eighth grade student at Canyon Ridge Elementary School, was recognized as a Distinguished Finalist as part of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award program. There were over 31,000 young volunteers who were considered. This is the first time a student from Surprise has won the award. She is an exceptional individual with a genuine heart for community service. I commend her for her work and for inspiring her peers to contribute to the community!

City Council with Makenna Breading-Goodrich

Events & Meetings

“Drive Wise, Surprise” Campaign

“In recent years, traffic accidents in our city have increased by 8-to-10 percent amid a growing population,” says Police Chief Terry Young. “This campaign is designed to create a culture of safe driving in Surprise, whether you are a resident or a visitor driving through the city.”

The campaign uses play on words and bright, creative imagery to deploy safety reminders via new street signage. While the campaign may sound playful, the intention behind it is more serious.

“When you are practicing good driving habits, you are helping to make the road safer for everyone,” says Chief Young. “Getting to your destination faster is not worth a serious injury; driving distracted or under the influence is not worth a life.”

This message is especially relevant as accident statistics increase and bad driving behaviors continue, not only in Surprise, but across Arizona and the country:

Surprise saw an 8 percent increase in accidents from 2014 to 2015 and a 10 percent increase in accidents from 2015 to 2016.

Arizona Department of Transportation reported a statewide increase of more than 6 percent from 2014 to 2015.

About 87 percent of drivers engage in unsafe behaviors behind the wheel, according to national research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in a one year period, according to a national study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

In addition to street signs, the campaign includes community and media engagement, social media messaging, ads, a public service announcement and various other marketing tools.

Mark Your Calendar

County Seeking Input on Multi-Year Health Improvement Plan

Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) is seeking the public’s input on defining its health priorities for a three-year plan that will be implemented starting in 2018. Various public meetings are being held throughout the county where the public will be presented with the top 10 health priorities that have come out of this year’s assessment and asked to whittle them down to the top 3-5.

All sessions will provide snacks & refreshments, free childcare service and are ADA-accessible.

Interested West Valley community members should attend the public forum listed below:

HOA Connection Classes

The city is hosting a series of HOA Connection Classes, which are designed to strengthen the city’s HOA communities. Residents and HOA board members are invited to attend the following upcoming classes:

February 28 – Proposed Legislation and Information on Fraud in HOAs

Community association attorney Beth Mulcahy will provide a general overview of Arizona community association law and the new bills that have been introduced in the Arizona Legislature in 2017. There will also be a brief discussion on how to prevent theft and fraud of association funds.

The class will be held from 1- 2:30 p.m. in the Surprise Public Safety Building Auditorium, 14250 W. Statler Plaza, Surprise, AZ 85374.

March 8 – HOA Open Meeting Laws

The Arizona Legislature has passed laws requiring planned communities and condominiums to conduct all of their meetings in a manner that is open to the community. This well-intentioned law is sometimes viewed as an unreasonable burden upon board members, which can result in violations. This class will cover:

Importance of Arizona’s open meeting laws

Overview of the open meeting laws and how they operate

Burdens on volunteer board members created by the law

Typical violations of the law and how they are best addressed

The class will be taught by Steve Cheifetz. Mr. Cheifetz has practiced law in Phoenix for 30 years, with the last 15 years of his practice having focused on homeowners association issues and disputes.

The class will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Surprise Public Safety Building Auditorium, 14250 W. Statler Plaza, Surprise, AZ 85374.

For more information on either of the classes or to register, please contact Ruby Sitea at 623.222.3242 or ruby.sitea@surpriseaz.gov.

Disclaimer: Information in seminars and classes sponsored by the City are a public service and should not be construed as advice or representation of any specific business, company, individual business owners, brokers or affiliations. The City does not endorse any particular business, product or speaker. Any information presented does not reflect the opinion or position of the City.

Did You Know?

Property Tax Distribution

The city collects approximately 9.5% of the primary property tax rate. The rest goes to schools, the county and other entities.

Bell Road/Grand Avenue Update

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to issue project updates for the Bell Road/Grand Avenue bridge project. Please note that the project has entered the third and final stage.

I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Bell-Grand interchange traffic configurations before the project is complete in February. View the ADOT Bell-Grand interchange animation to better understand traffic movements at the project intersections.

Grand Avenue base paving has been completed. Final paving will still need to be done and will require simultaneous closures of Towne Center Drive and Bell Grande. Final paving is anticipated to begin on Jan. 29.

Grand Avenue will be restricted to one lane in both directions at times over the next couple of weeks during daytime hours. Two lanes of traffic will be back in place at the end of each day.

City, County, and State law enforcement will be patrolling the area. Please obey all traffic signage and posted speed limits.

For more information or if you have questions: ADOT’s project hotline (855) 712-8530, press option #1 or email: bellandgrandinfo@azdot.gov

Bell Road/Grand Avenue Traffic Pattern Update

The Bell-Grand Traffic Pattern Map focuses on the intersections at Grand and Bell Grande Drive; Grand and Bell Road; and Grand and Towne Center Drive. Here are the biggest changes you will encounter:

An active traffic signal on the top of the Bell Road Bridge will direct traffic movements from the new on-off ramps to and from Grand Avenue;

Traffic descending northwest on Grand Avenue ramps will merge into Grand Avenue traffic prior to approaching the Towne Center Drive intersection. Shoppers will note dual lefts at the intersection to get into the commercial area;

There will be NO access to Bell Grande Drive (by Carl’s Jr.) for traffic coming off of the eastbound Grand Avenue ramp from Bell. If you want to shop at Surprise Marketplace, stay on Bell and enter the parking lot by the Chick-fil-A driveway at the bottom of the bridge;

And motorists traveling on Grand Avenue in either direction that want to access Bell Road should be in the left lane to access the ramps. At the top of the ramps there will be dual left lanes and one right lane to connect you to Bell.

The Bell-Grand project is scheduled to be completed prior to the first Spring Training game at Surprise Stadium on February 25. For more information about the Bell-Grand project, visit www.surpriseaz.gov/bellandgrand.

Events & Meetings

AZ STEM Community of Practice Meeting

Along with representation from Canyon Ridge Elementary School, I attended the AZ STEM Community of Practice Meeting at Centerra Mirage STEM Academy in Goodyear on Tuesday, January 17. AZ STEM School Community of Practice is a joint initiative between hi-tech businesses, community members, educators, students and parents. This is a collaboration that consists of 57 forward-thinking schools dedicated to sharing best practices and finding solutions to educate our youth in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This particular meeting consisted of break-out sessions that focused on attracting funds and partnerships.

Mountain Vista Ranch HOA Meeting

On Wednesday, January 18, I attended the Mountain Vista Ranch HOA meeting to present an overall city update with a focus on economic development. Police Chief Terry Young accompanied me to discuss recent vehicular burglaries. He reinforced the need to lock your car doors and keep your valuables indoors or out of sight. All but one vehicle was left unlocked during these aforementioned crimes.

El Mirage City Hall Grand Opening

City Councilmembers Jim Hayden, Roland Winters, Ken Remley and I attended the El Mirage City Hall grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday, January 19 along with several other elected officials and dignitaries from around the Valley. The new City Hall is located on El Mirage Road between Peoria and Olive Avenues.

AZ History & Culture Speaker Series Continues

The Surprise Arts & Cultural Advisory Commission in partnership with Arizona Humanities hosted another fantastic speaker series event on Monday, January 23 at City Hall. The presentation introduced us to the flamboyant stage coach robber Pearl Hart and the road that took her from an innocent teenager to a life of crime. We had 95 people attend the free event!

The next speaker series event will follow the footsteps of Martha Summerhayes who gave birth to the first Anglo child born at Fort Apache. The free event will be held February 15 from 11 am – noon in the City Council Chambers at Surprise City Hall. Please contact Commission Chair Susan deJong for additional information at 623.214.7537.

Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce

The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted their Annual Meeting as part of their monthly breakfast meeting on Tuesday, January 24. Chamber Board Chair Patrick McDermott introduced the 2017 Board Officers which, in addition to himself, include Scott Philips, Jeremiah Hood, Steve Doolittle and Melissa Holdaway. Additionally, Mr. McDermott provided the 2016 highlights which included the award-winning ShopSurprise campaign produced in collaboration with the city of Surprise, the revitalization of the Chairman’s Circle and an overview of the Chamber’s financials. The Chamber gained 75 new members and 17 Chairman Circle members in 2016. The total membership exceeds 400 members.

Chamber CEO Raoul Sada discussed the three pillars of the Chamber which include Membership Services and Resources, Voice of the Business Community, and Public Education and Outreach. For more information on the Chamber, please visit their website at www.surpriseregionalchamber.com.

Mark Your Calendar

2017 Surprise City Academy

If you are interested in learning about the structure of city government or just want to update yourself on local issues, now is the time to register for the 2017 Surprise City Academy. The eight-session academy offers the opportunity to learn about the city directly from City Council and city management.

The Surprise City Academy will begin on March 6 and continue weekly through April 17. Most classes meet from 6-8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Surprise Public Safety Building, located at 14250 W. Statler Plaza. The Academy is free but space is limited, so I encourage you to register by February 23.

Lunchtime Theatre Series

The City of Surprise and the West Valley Arts Council, in partnership with Theatre Works, the West Valley Symphony and the Phoenix Opera are excited to offer another performance, “Jam Session with Maestro Kellogg and Friends”. The performance will be held on February 9, 2017. The first performance will be held at 11:30 a.m. and the second at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling the West Valley Arts Council at 623.935.6384.

State of the City Address

Mayor Sharon Wolcott plans to highlight the success of Our Community. Our Story and provide the vision for future success in the 2017 State of the City luncheon event.

Registration begins at 10:45 a.m. Lunch follows and the program begins at 11:30 a.m.

The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce is accepting registrations online and by phone at 623.583.0692 or 623.748.1828. Single tickets are $35; or $500 for a reserved table for 10. The event is hosted by the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce and Sun Health.

Did You Know?

Surprise Veteran Job Club

The City of Surprise is proud to serve the men and women of the Armed Forces, both active-duty and veterans, who serve us so well! That’s why we have launched a Veteran Job Club, where veterans provide other veterans, active military and their family members with industry and career pathway knowledge to help them gain the skills they need to land a new job or pursue a new career! This group includes employment assistance, guest speakers and networking!

Bell Road/Grand Avenue Update

Construction Schedule

Construction at the intersection of Bell Road and Grand Avenue continues to progress. The current activities have been as follows:

Installation of 54-inch drainage pipes along the east side of Grand Avenue.

Demolition of Bell Road and along the right-of-way on the west side of Grand Avenue.

Drilling of 66-foot deep shafts for the new bridge columns on the east side of Grand Avenue (see photos below). The columns are filled with 122 cubic yards of concrete.

As always, the project team appreciates your understanding and continued patience. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the project hotline at 855.712.8530 and press option #1. You may also send an email to bellandgrandinfo@azdot.gov.

Bell-Grand Business Stakeholder Outreach Meeting

City staff hosted the monthly Bell-Grand Business Stakeholder Outreach meeting on Tuesday, April 12. Approximately five business representatives were in attendance including the Property Manager that represents both shopping centers on both sides of Bell/Grand.

ADOT reviewed the business access and phasing maps and informed the businesses that the project is on track. They are still reviewing traffic configurations and making necessary adjustments. In preparation for shifting traffic to share the westbound lanes of Grand Ave in Phase 3B, the non-signalized business access driveways along Grand Ave will close in mid-May (Taco Bell, Bank of America, Olive Garden, Del Taco).

The city will be making adjustments to favor the detour at the Dysart and Greenway roads intersection. As early as next week, southbound Dysart Rd at Greenway Rd will have one thru lane and a dedicated right turn only lane onto westbound Greenway Rd.

The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce shared information about the ShopSurprise text campaign. Currently, 600 people have opted-in to receive the deal of the day via text message and the ShopSurprise Facebook page has had more than 5,000 visitors. Beginning next week, the Chamber will begin to distribute ShopSurprise fliers to each of the businesses which they can distribute to their customers; in June, the Chamber will distribute a ShopSurprise magazine with coupons for the businesses in the Bell-Grand area.

Construction progress as of April 11, 2016

Drilling and install of the steel reinforcement for the bridge’s concrete pillars.

Events & Meetings

Meeting with ASU Student

On Thursday, April 7, I met with a student who is enrolled in the Masters of Public Administration program at Arizona State University. We discussed City Council’s approach to responding to constituents and other important topics that include budgets and maintaining the vision of our community.

Kingswood Park HOA Spring Fling

I was invited to attend Kingswood Park HOA’s Spring Fling on Saturday, April 9. There were a few hundred residents in attendance as we enjoyed a concert and barbeque. A special thank you to the Kingswood Park HOA Board for the invitation!

Mark Your Calendar

Job Fair Coming to Surprise

The City of Surprise and Arizona@Work are teaming up starting tomorrow to present both a job seeker workshop and a job fair! The workshop will be held on Friday, April 15 from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at the Communiversity @ Surprise, 15950 N. Civic Center Parkway. The workshop will include tips on resume building, interviewing, social media networking and much more.

The job fair will take place on Tuesday, April 19 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the same location. This fair will have more than a dozen employers from Surprise and our neighboring cities. The employers scheduled to attend represent a variety of industries including healthcare, real estate, banking, automotive and much more. For more information, please contact Julie Neal at 623.222.3322.

Police To Host Citizen Safety Forum

The Surprise Police Department, in partnership with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, will be hosting a Citizen Safety Forum from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, 2016. This event will be held at the Sun City Grand Sonoran Plaza at 19753 N. Remington Drive in the Sagebrush Ballroom.

The event will include free safety presentations on safely handling, storing and disposing of prescription medication as well as home security and fraudulent scams. The program will include presentations by and a chance to ask questions of leaders such as Surprise Police Chief Terry Young and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.

Attendees also can bring and safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medication at the event. Please note that police will be unable to accept thermometers, liquids, needles, ointments/lotions, inhalers, or aerosol cans.

The event is entirely free and lunch will be provided. Registration is required to attend. To register please visit www.maricopacountyattorney.org/CSF or call 602-506-7621.

Utility Payment Assistance Event

The City of Surprise Resource Center, in partnership with the City of El Mirage, Maricopa County and APS, is hosting a Gas and Electric Utility Payment Assistance event on Saturday, April 23 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the El Mirage Senior Center, located at 14010 N El Mirage Rd.

Southwest Gas and APS customers who qualify are encouraged to attend! This event is open for residents of Surprise and El Mirage who meet the income qualifying guidelines. Specific documents must be provided in order for an application to be taken. The income guidelines and document requirements are available here: http://bit.ly/1oCmSWu

Please note, applicants will be served on a first-come, first-served basis, and an interview is not a guarantee of assistance. If your household has received utility assistance from a CAP office in the last 12 months, you are not eligible for utility assistance at this time.

For questions, please contact the Surprise Resource Center at 623.222.1600.

Surprise Citizen Corps Council Workshop on Protection

With concerns about personal safety and security at an all-time high, the Surprise Citizen Corps Council is inviting women in the Northwest Valley to an informative workshop on ways to protect yourself and your family. The workshop will be held at the Surprise Fire-Medical Department, 14250 W. Statler Plaza from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm on April 27. Tuition is $25 and can be paid at the door. You can make your reservation by emailing crfire@surpriseaz.gov.

Relay for Life

Relay for Life is scheduled for April 23 at Willow Canyon High School’s football field, 17001 W. Lundberg Street from 12 noon until 10 pm. This marks the 10th anniversary of the event in Surprise! The public is invited to participate in the walk. If you’d like to sign up for this annual event, please do so at http://relayforlife.org/SurpriseAZ.

Did You Know?

Surprise Farms Park Phase II Selected For Prestigious Awards

The Surprise Farms Park Phase II has been selected as one of the American Public Works Association’s Public Works Projects of the Year for 2016. Formal recognition will take place in August. I continued to be honored to work with such incredible city staff that make recognitions like this possible.

ADOT’s National Household Travel Survey

The Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are asking households, most of them outside of metro Phoenix and Tucson, to participate in the National Household Travel Survey. Up to 30,000 households, chosen at random, will be contacted via letter over the next year. This survey is conducted every five to seven years and provides an essential snapshot of transportation behaviors and trends. ADOT has created an online survey which is available at http://azdot.gov/NHTS. Information gathered by your participation in this survey will also help create a more valuable transportation system for all.

Contact Me

City Council Work Session

Sign Ordinance Discussion

The City of Surprise is in the process of amending City Code Chapter 113 regarding signs. At a previous Council meeting, City Council requested a series of workshops and business outreach on the proposed amendment to the Sign Code.

Sign codes are complex in nature and evoke discussion on aesthetics and community values. The ultimate approval of a Zoning Text Amendment to the Municipal Code with respect to signage has the potential of increasing business exposure through effective signage, which in turn has the potential of generating more sales tax revenue through increased sales volume. The Text Amendment also has the potential of minimizing visual clutter and increasing traffic safety. Furthermore, the ultimate approval of the Amendment has the potential of reducing staff review time as a result of a clearer, concise, more user-friendly document.

Staff will be conducting stakeholder meetings and community outreach throughout this amendment process. These meetings will follow a parallel track with the policy and general direction discussion with the City Council. Staff will also invite stakeholders and the general public to provide comments and feedback throughout the process. Stakeholder meetings will occur in October and November, with possible council action in December. Please look for further information regarding these dates in my newsletter or on our website at www.surpriseaz.gov/signcode.

Events & Meetings

Kingswood Park HOA Meeting

Staff from the Surprise Police Department and I attended the Kingswood Park HOA meeting earlier last week. Several residents were in attendance. One of the residents raised concerns regarding vandalism at Kingswood Park Elementary School. Possible solutions to the vandalism issues were discussed. Kingswood Park Elementary School Principal Jeremy St. Germaine was also present and vocalized his concerns and shared the plan for how the school will work with the HOA and the Surprise Police Department to address the issues. The background of the history between the HOA and the school was provided. Lastly, Lt. Mike Donovan reported a drop in crimes in the area of more than 30%.

Mountain Vista Ranch HOA Meeting

On Wednesday, September 16, I attended the Mountain Vista Ranch HOA meeting. Assistant Police Chief Geoff Leggett and Sergeant Tim Klarkowski were also in attendance. Sergeant Klarkowski reported an almost 6% drop in crime in the area.

Community Development Director Eric Fitzer was also present and discussed ways to discourage vehicles from cutting through the empty lot contiguous to Mountain Vista Ranch.

Valley Metro RPTA Meeting

The Valley Metro RPTA Board of Directors met on Thursday, September 17. We discussed possible changes to route 571 due to upcoming construction of Thunderbird this fall. More details will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Additionally, I was appointed as a member of the Valley Metro Budget and Finance Subcommittee.

MD24 Clinic Ribbon Cutting

Dr. Linh Nguyen, founder and CEO of MD24 Clinic, hosted a ribbon cutting and open house for his new 10,000 square foot office location on Mountain View Boulevard in District 5 in Surprise. MD24 was the first start-up business to leave our AZ TechCelerator incubator.

MD24 is a network of Physicians, Specialists, Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants that provide medical services to residents in senior retirement communities. They currently serve more than 240 community locations across Maricopa County. Best of luck to Dr. Nguyen and his team on his success and with his new location!

West Valley Leaders Water Summit

On Wednesday, September 23, West Valley Central Arizona Project (WESTCAPS) held its 2nd Annual West Valley Leaders Water Summit at Estrella Mountain Community College. The event kicked-off with the Keynote address delivered by Grady Gammage. Mr. Gammage spoke about the history and current state of water in Arizona, and he outlined the efforts Arizona has taken to ensure long term water sustainability, stressing the need for collaboration in the West Valley on water issues as the area grows.

Ms. Marie Pearthree, with the Central Arizona Project (CAP), and Mr. Dave Roberts, with the Salt River Project (SRP), addressed those in attendance on role their organizations play in the West Valley. Ms. Pearthree provided an overview of CAP, the Colorado River, and the drought and the efforts being taken to mitigate its effects in the CAP service area. Mr. Roberts summarized opportunities SRP has that would help the West Valley overcome its future water resource challenges.

Mr. Jeff Tannler, with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), discussed Active Management Area Plans and Goals in relation to subsidence monitoring and water supply and sustainability. Ms. Leslie Meyers, of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), spoke about the Bureau’s mission and objectives to help solve water resource problems and to protect the environment in the desert Southwest. She discussed funding structures for water resource management planning efforts, and the current Basin Study process. The WESTCAPS Basin Study is currently underway with a few steps needed to complete the study.

Mr. Guy Carpenter from Carollo Engineers discussed the importance of regional collaboration relating the value of water, its impact on growth, and the West Valley’s need to work together to ensure continued economic viability. He cited two case studies that outlined projects on which Carollo Engineers has worked and the positive water related outcomes from those projects. Mr. Carpenter closed with a clear message that the West Valley Leaders need to work together to ensure long term water sustainability.

Mark Your Calendar

G.A.I.N. Night 2015

Surprise Public Safety officials invite you to attend the upcoming G.A.I.N. Night (Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods). The engaging community event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 3 from 6-9 pm at 8-acre park located at 15960 N. Bullard Avenue.

This event supports the Arizona Special Olympics organization so please come out and join us for this great cause. There will be free raffles and many great prizes to be won!

I hope to see you there!

Lunchtime Theater Series

The City of Surprise, in collaboration with the West Valley Arts Council, Theater Works and the West Valley Symphony announced a new 2015-2016 performing arts series, Lunchtime Theater, which will feature four lunchtime performances that will be held in the beautiful 2,500 square foot Arts HQ gallery. The season includes:

October 29, 2015: “Almost, Almost Maine” – Theater Works presents a whimsical story of the joys and perils of romance.

January 28, 2016: “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” – Theater Works presents a musical about the contemporary conundrum of “the relationship”.

March 3, 2016: “City of Angels” – Theater Works presents a musical homage to the classic film.

All performances begin at Noon, at the Arts HQ, 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, AZ. Tickets are $9 for each performance. To order tickets, please call the West Valley Arts Council at 623.935.6384 or Susan de Jong at 623.214.7537. Each performance will be 45-50 minutes long.

Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch or they can pre-order one from the City Café @ Surprise. To place a lunch order, please contact the City Café @ Surprise at 623.222.8900. Lunch orders from the City Café @ Surprise will be delivered to the Arts HQ before the performance. The price is $9.85 including tax.

Did You Know?

City Wins National Awards for Public Awareness Videos

The City of Surprise received two awards from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) during their Government Programming Awards earlier this month. The City took first and second place in the Public Service Announcement category:

The annual awards program honors excellence in broadcast, cable multimedia and electronic programming produced by local government agencies. This year, NATOA received over 800 entries submitted by local governments across the country.

Congratulations to our Communication crew who put these award winning videos together! To view additional City of Surprise videos and programming, including the coverage of Surprise City Council Meetings, please visit www.surpriseaz.gov/surprise11.

Surprise Boards & Commissions

The City is looking for volunteers to fill vacancies for a few of our Boards and Commissions. The vacancies are as follows:

Event date: August 22, 2018 Event Time: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PMLocation: 15832 N Hollyhock StreetSurprise, AZ 85378Description:Due to the League of Cities Conference, the August 22 District 4 meeting has been rescheduled. The next meeting will be September 26, 2018. Join Councilmember Remley at the Surprise Community Center, 15832 N Hollyhock Street, at 6:00 […]

Event date: August 23, 2018 Event Time: 11:30 AM - 01:00 PMLocation: 12425 W. Bell RoadBuilding BSurprise, AZ 85378Description:You’ve probably heard it before: Much like having a business plan is crucial to launching and growing a business, having a marketing plan is critical to reaching customers and selling successfully. In short, marketing is the very […]

Event date: August 25, 2018 Event Time: 08:00 AM - 12:00 PMLocation: 14250 W Statler Plaza, Suite 101Surprise, AZ 85374Description:Prior registration required for this training. CERT is a FEMA program that educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire […]

Event date: August 18, 2018 Event Time: 08:00 AM - 12:00 PMLocation: 14250 W Statler Plaza, Suite 101Surprise, AZ 85374Description:Prior registration required for this training. CERT is a FEMA program that educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire […]

Event date: August 23, 2018 Event Time: 06:00 PM - 09:00 PMLocation: 14250 W Statler Plaza, Suite 101Surprise, AZ 85374Description:Prior registration required for this training. CERT is a FEMA program that educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire […]